The lovely early years and reception children from Dormer House School, came out to Sandfield Farm today. The weather was perfect. The children were very good when it came to thinking of ideas of what might be dangerous on a real farm. We had a lovely walk, through the long grass to look at the wild bird mix cover crop. The children were very good at finding small seeds for the small birds and large seeds for the large birds. We then walked through the wheat stubble and heard the sound of the stubble crunching underneath are feet. 

The children were fascinated by the hole dug by the badgers looking for beetles, worms and slugs. Later in the day we found another hole made by the badgers for their latrine! Once in the field with the calves, the children were excellent at standing still and quietly, they loved the challenge of seeing how close the calves would come to them. The children found it hard to believe that the animals infront of them were only calves, rather than fully grown cows. 

As the weather was so wonderful we thought we would see which creatures we could catch in the pond. Most of the mini beasts caught in the pond were waterboatmen. As we walked back for lunch we looked at the different berries in the autumn hedgerow. 

The children loved the mud in the playwood after lunch. 

The lovely children from Broadway Tower View Playschool put on their overalls and headed into the woods today. The children spent the whole day exploring the playwood. They remembered how to carry sticks safely and not to touch bird berries or mushrooms/fungi. 

As there is a lack of mud in the muddy puddles, I rigged up a hose so the children could fill their watering cans and fill up the muddy puddle. An old baking tray turned out to be the perfect mud sleigh. 

The children learnt about campfire safety and enjoyed eating crumpets and marshmallows toasted on the fire. 

They left the farm nearly as muddy as the pigs their saw having their mud bath. 

The children from Sedgeberrow Playgroup have grown in confidence over the last few weeks which has been really lovely to see. This morning they remembered all the health and safety points of being on a farm, which we have previously discussed. We also had a look in the wood at the ‘bird’ cherries which are now dropping off the trees and the mushrooms and fungus growing on the woodland floor. The children learnt to look but not to touch. They also learnt how to climb a stile safely. 

After snack the children went off into the wood armed with a magnifying glass and bug pot. They were brilliant at finding lots of different minibeasts which they took great delight in showing us. Just before lunch the children helped clean the rubber ducks and then swam the ducks in the paddling pool, whilst others dug for fossils in the sand box. 

After lunch we had a walk in a freshly silaged field. Stood by the pylon we listened to the buzzing of the electricity flowing in the wires overhead. The children found some hay and did unprompted role playing of chicks in a nest and cows being fed by a farmer.

After a busy day the children finished with a play in the wood.  

The very lovely pre-school aged children from Dormer House School came out to the farm in very hot weather. The children were wonderful and coped with the heat extremely well. At the start of the day the children were asked what could be dangerous on a real farm and they had plenty of answers with some great ideas. Before the weather became too hot we went down to the pond and did some pond dipping. We were lucky and saw dragon flies whizzing around the pond.